IMH 75:2 178

"Chronicles of Upper Burnet" (1)

1881

Wednesday, March 2nd.

It rained and sleeted a little last night but the sun shone
through thin clouds all of to-day; and there was some more
thaw than yesterday. John Fowler and I were thinking of open­
ing the sugar camp on the upper eighty in partnership to-day.
He was over before breakfast this morning and after consulta­
tion we agreed not to do anything to-day. After breakfast
Father and I "rung" the noses of the nine pigs(69)and otherwise
attended to them. Then we hauled two sled-loads or eight shock
of fodder up. After dinner he went down and chopped awhile in
Bain's drift while I hauled a sled-load of rails from here to the
creek, picked up a few drifted ones and hauled them into more
convenient position then came back up on the hill made things
right or partly so, up there, then unhitched, and went over
across the creek to where Foster and Hand were at work and
had been since morning. Father was there twice during the
course of the afternoon to borrow and return an ax. The old
beehive was opened to-day, quite a lot of honey both good and
bad, both capped and uncapped was found in it but every bee
was dead. Alvin remained at the house to help do the washing.

Teaching Note; Today, not too many miles from "Upper Burnet" there is one of the largest
honey operations in Indiana, Hunters Honey farm. The loss of the bees in 1880 was likely from starvation and
extreme cold, not disease. Today Tracy Hunter of Hunters Honey farm has to deal with a myriad of
problems unheard of in 1880..most have been "imported." As an excellent manager and apiarist he, like
his grandfather was before him, is ever on top of it.